Free Sexy/Dangerous by Beverly Jenkins Page A

allowed in it were the ones he was sleeping with. She and her damn dogs were taking over his life, and he couldn’t believe she’d asked him to undo her bra. She acted as if she asked men to do that every day. Maybe she did, buthe didn’t want his name on the list. Her sigh of pleasure when the bra came undone had made him hard as an eighth grader on a school bus, and he wasn’t happy about that, either.
    Done with his shower, he shut off the water and grabbed the towel. After drying, he saronged it around his waist and padded barefoot back out into the room. He opened the dresser and pulled out a set of fresh boxers and another T-shirt. Casting an eye over to Ms. Texas sleeping cozily on his bed, he watched her for a moment. Lord, she was fine. That golden brown skin, that tall svelte frame. The green eyes only added to the overall allure. Adam glanced at the dogs. Ossie was watching him back, and Adam jumped. Cursing softly, he resumed his search for socks and a pair of jeans. Ignoring the silent scrutiny of the dog, he carried everything back into the bathroom and dressed. When he was done, he gave Sleeping Beauty one last look, then quietly left the room.
    Downstairs, he grabbed his cold dinner and started to the kitchen to warm it up, then remembered the house no longer had a kitchen. He gave another dissatisfied sigh, turned to head down to the cellar and froze. Ossie was sitting in the hallway.
    “If you’re trying to scare me to death, you’re doing a damn good job, dog.”
    For a moment the two males eyed each other silently. Finally, Adam asked, “What do you want?”
    Of course, the dog didn’t answer, Adam shook his head for even starting the conversation, but he felt compelled to say, “Look, I’m scared of you, okay. If you’re messing with me because you sense fear, it’s not funny, my man. Not at all.”
    Ossie yawned, then stretched out and settled his head on his paws.
    “Aren’t you supposed to be up there guarding the woman who jacked my bed? I don’t blame you for wanting to take a break, though. Being around her has got to be tiring.”
    Adam really wanted to go to the lab, but the dog was blocking his exit. “Look, man. Been nice talking to you, but I have work to do. I don’t want to bum-rush you and freak you out but you’re going to have to move so I can get by.”
    Ossie stood, turned and walked off.
    Adam didn’t know what to think. Had the dog understood his words? Adam now had a clear path. He carried his cold dinner toward the basement stairs, and when he realized Ossie was trotting behind him, he sighed again. Something told him it was useless to try and get rid of the animal, so rather than waste his time and breath, Adam ignored him, but the dog didn’t seem to mind.
    Adam stuck his cold dinner into the microwave in his outer office and stashed Blake’s uneaten food in his small dorm-sized fridge. While he ate, he called his mother again, and again got the voice mail. He tried to distract himself by reading some of the scientific journals he’d not had time to check out previously. Every now and then he glanced over at Ossie, who’d made himself comfortable in the doorway. The big dog seemed content even if Adam wasn’t.
    By midnight Adam’s eyes were glazing over from all the reading and the lateness of the hour. It had been quite a day; from the construction crews this morning to the threatening e-mail to the evening storm and thejacking of his bed. He thought about his mother and the woman asleep upstairs. There was no doubt in his mind that if they ever got the chance to meet, they’d instantly like each other. Both were independent spirits with minds of their own. He just hoped the bull-headed one upstairs in his bed hadn’t cracked her spine or injured herself in some other equally serious way. Memories of the vanilla scent she wore came back to mess with him and to remind him that it had been a long time since he’d undone a woman’s brassiere or smelled